Rating: 
Summary: The force: Just Blind Luck?
Review: This installment of the Star Wars saga was a real disappointment. At its best the movie shows us the complexity and limitations of the Jedi, before their fall. But the real presence of the Force enters the movie through the boy Anakin. I think the biggest failing is that there is nothing truly heroic about the plot. The world is saved through a sequence of bizarrely random events. It's almost laughable, and certainly not heroic. If the screenwriter had really wanted to equate the force with random chance (and a positive outcome), there are better ways of communicating this. Some other options: 1) The battle is over, the Naboo have lost. All friendly fighters have been destroyed. When out of nowhere, a huge asteroid suddenly smashes into the control ship, splitting it in half and sending the wreckage spiraling to its fiery demise on the planet surface. 2) It's "bring your kids to work" day on the control ship on the day after the battle has ended. Princess Amidala has been captured and is (down on the surface) preparing to surrender. Meanwhile, up on the bridge of the control ship, little Johnny is asking, "Hey daddy, what does this red button do?" Daddy lizard doesn't reply because he is busy watching the proceedings on his vid screen. So Johnny presses the big red button -- which just turns out to be the control ship's self destruct mode. In the ensuing confusion the ship's officers are somehow unable to cancel the self-destruct order (perhaps the override code has been misplaced?) and the ship is destroyed in a fiery explosion. The way young Anakin saved the day just makes me sick to my stomach.
Rating: 
Summary: Episode 1
Review: Matrix is not even a close second to this movie! Yes, the movie was geared towards children but that was good. The story was fast and fun and the plot was rich enough to enjoy as an adult and simple enough to enjoy as a child. The star wars trilogy was a hard act to follow and Lucas succeeded in in almost every way. The picture quality of the VHS version was blurry and drab but I suspect this is for reasons of the eventual release of a THX " SPECIAL EDITION "version in the future. That's it sell them the video two or three times not just once. I still think it's worth it even if the picture could be better.
Rating:
Summary: A welcome addition to a legendary series
Review: This prequel to the Star Wars series is a welcome addition to the hexology. The story is entertaining and fills us in on the early times of characters we know such as Obi-Wan Kanobi and Anakin Skywalker as well as R2D2 and C3PO. This derivative work is crafted like a jigsaw puzzle where we already know what the picture looks like in the later episodes, but we don't have the details on how the pieces all came together. Even if you are the only cave dweller on the planet who hasn't seen any of the Star Wars episodes previously, you won't be disappointed by this film. It stands on its own as a solid sci-fi action adventure entry. Critical to the success of any Star Wars film are the special effects, and in this regard 16 years of technology has moved the art form to new heights. The animation of Jar Jar Binks, the droid army and the panoramic city scenes with the hustle bustle of the futuristic cities was mind boggling. The pod race was a dizzying rocket ride. In every regard, the effects were an improvement over previous generations. Liam Neeson was a bit too stoic in the role of Qui-Gon Jinn, but his performance in the action sequences involving the light saber were excellent. Neeson has the intensity to play the character more expressively, so I have to wonder if he was being directed to be more phlegmatic by George Lucas. Ewan McGregor was excellent as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, but I found Natalie Portman to be wimpy and flaccid as Queen Amidala. Carrie Fisher she ain't. Jake Lloyd was a treat as the young Anakin. He has a lot of spunk and it will be interesting to see if he can convert that potential from child phenom to solid actor. I'm sure I could pick out little things I wish were different, but this is fantasy entertainment at its finest, so other than a few weak acting performances I have to give this film a 9/10 just for sheer enjoyment and marvelous special effects.
Rating: 
Summary: Besides Jar Jar, there is no good reason to not like this!
Review: You don't like this movie? What are you thinking? It's got great music, fantastic battles, and great drama. Some people say the only reason people like this is because it's a Star Wars movie. Have you ever considered this? The some Star Wars fans don't like this movie is because its Star Wars. What do I mean? Well, this movie got an eight or a nine in my book, but the other movies got a nine or a ten. So just because it isn't quite as good as the others, you hate it. All you people who hated this movie are just being picky. Okay, fine, I admit Jar Jar is a little annoying, but he's nothing a shotgun bullet can't fix. Let's just hope he isn't as . . . clumsy? stupid? . . . in the next movie. If you ignore Jar Jar, It's a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Return of the Force
Review: It took 17 years but I've finally got another Star Wars movie for my home collection I can't wait till it's on DVD. I love this movie I love the final battle with the Duel of Fates in the background. Annie(Lord Vader)is annoying but he is only 9 and when I was that age I was annoying to
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! This movie did exactly what it was supposed to do
Review: The Phantom Menice is a wonderful movie. Some people didn't like it because there wasn't at much action or space battles. However, it was meant to develop characters and introduce us to the world that we were thrown into in Star Wars. The story (in the original Star Wars) was wonderful but we never knew where the characters came from or why they were in the positions they were in. This is where Phantom Menace comes in. The Phantom Menace starts at the beginning and shows the characters that started the whole thing. In addition it answered some questions that Star Wars fans had for a long time, as well as created new questions that will be answered in the next two movies. When you take the movie for what it is, the beginning of a long story, it is FANTASTIC! I just wich it was available on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Phantom Menace - The Best Star Wars Yet
Review: From the start, this movie screams Hi-Tech. The visuals are amazing. There are multiple stories within the story. I particularly liked the use of Force powers by the Jedi Knights. The new movie technology prevails and makes this movie a hit for the whole family. The previous movies simply cannot compare with todays technology. It is a true adventure without the usual dragging drama of longer films. In fact, the drama increases the adventure and makes you want more. A very good film. You will enjoy it over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: I enjoyed it, but..
Review: My favourite parts of this movie were: 1) The sabre duel. 2) John William's score. 3) The attention to detail. 4) Did I mention the sabre duel? I've watched it multiple times, and noticed some little thing going on in the background that I didnt notice before. The amount of detail that went into this film was incredible. I wish Lucas had put just as much effort into the dialogue and character development. The musical score was superb. I own the soundtrack and I love listening to Duel of the Fates and the Federation themes. Very appropriate, probably the most conistant part of the film. The sabre duels were 1000 times better than all of the duels in the other 3 installments put together. It's just too bad that there wasnt enough Maul. Lucas gave the audience zero reason to hate Maul, except for the fact that he was a pawn of Palpatine. Ian McDiarmid was probably the most consistantly good actor in this flick. Jake Lloyd should not have had a speaking part. Natalie, Ewan, and Liam all seemed bored, and their lines sounded canned. Finally, I hope Sam L Jackson gets to kick some ass in Episode II or else its going to be a pretty dull trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: What the heck is going on?
Review: Man, this movie was just confusing. At least the old Star Wars movies were understandable to the regular person. The new one had so much space lingo it was just annoying. Can somebody tell me what a "Sith" is? What the heck was that thing that Kwiy-John (or whatever his name is) knocked over? Why doesn't Yoda just die already, or at least get some "Hooked-On-Phonics?" I know four year olds that are more understandable. What happened to Liam Neeson? His acting was unusually bad. The sword fights were the best part, and they just weren't that good. Special effects and flashing lights don't make a good movie. Rent this movie with a Trekkie so you can understand what is happening.
Rating:
Summary: excellent movie, bad VHS picture
Review: I believe The Phantom Menace is a great movie for Star Wars fans and those who haven't even seen the originals. I saw it many times in the theatre(probably too many. I was addicted,) and I was very excited to own the widescreen version to watch at home. But I was really surprised by the poor picture quality. I don't know if I'm just spoiled by DVD, but I couldn't believe how badly the picture looked. I ended up trying to adjust my tv controls throughout most of the movie. I'm a bit confused.
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